Ten minutes later, the horse carriage from the imperial palace arrived at the entrance of the posthouse, and Ning Lianchen alighted before entering the main hall.
Liu Yinyin immediately ran towards him and grabbed his hand. “Elder Brother Lianchen, you’re finally back! Let’s go out and play today, alright?”
The initial steps of stabilising the court has been accomplished. Ning Lianchen relaxed his brow and smiled at her. “Of course we can. Where do you want to go?”
“Fairy Elder Sister, where should we go?” Liu Yinyin cheerfully giggled. I’m really happy today.
“A-Jing, let’s go to Nanzhao’s Mother River. We can see the landscape garden[1] in the distance while we’re on the boat.”
Pei Qianhao agreed. “We’ll do as you say.”
Liu Yinyin jumped in excitement. “That’s great! Let’s go now!” Right as she finished speaking, however, Wu Ling hastily entered the main hall.
“Reporting to Prince Hao, Qin Ling rushed to Nanzhao and informed me that Zhen Yu has gone missing.”
Pei Qianhao had already dispatched people to investigate Brother Hu. We could only slowly start our investigation in Peach Blossom Village, but if this Brother Hu is alive, he must have changed his name. It was already hard enough finding him, but now even Zhen Yu is missing.
“A-Jing, let’s return to Beimin today. Zhen Yu is very obedient; she wouldn’t have left on her own.” Su Xi-er looked towards Ning Lianchen. “We must take our leave now that something has come up in Beimin; help Yinyin pack her things so that we can quickly depart.”
Liu Yinyin felt as if her heart was being squeezed. We have to say goodbye so soon?
She looked at Ning Lianchen with reluctance. The books say that all good things come to an end, and the time for goodbye will inevitably come. After separating today, what will Elder Brother Lianchen be like the next time I see him?
“Yinyin, I’ll help you pack your stuff. Go back to Beimin with your Fairy Elder Sister.” Ning Lianchen patted her shoulder to comfort her. “If I have the time, I will go and visit you.”
This little lass claimed that we would be apart for five years, but I don’t believe it. If we really are separated for five years, will she miss me? I bet that she’ll be crying and insisting on returning.
“I’ll be very obedient, so you have to be a good emperor. Only then can I come back in the future.”
Although Liu Yinyin was young, she was precocious, and understood where things stood. If I stay in the imperial palace, I will only become a burden to him. Those officials may even use me as a basis to stir up trouble.
After they finished talking, the two quickly went inside to pack. In less than 15 minutes, a horse carriage was waiting in front of the posthouse, departing soon after. Ning Lianchen accompanied them all the way to the suburbs, watching as the horse carriage gradually faded into the distance. When he saw Liu Yinyin’s head peeking out of the carriage window along with her waving hand, he felt pain piercing his heart.
Yinyin, I will definitely be a good emperor. Only then can I truly protect you and ensure that you’re safe and sound.
~~~
Inside the horse carriage, Su Xi-er’s eyes were full of concern. “A-Jing, Zhen Yu’s heart is filled with Brother Hu, and we have already agreed to help her search for him. There’s no way that she left the capital on her own without waiting to hear from us. Who on earth would have abducted her?”
“I have no idea. There’s nobody who even knows her in the capital, much less somebody who would want to kidnap her.” Pei Qianhao contemplated. There hasn’t been much progress in the search for Brother Hu. Who exactly made a move on Zhen Yu?
“A-Jing, could it have been Xie Yun? Does he already know that the Brother Hu Zhen Yu is searching for looks like you?”
A moment later, Pei Qianhao concurred. “Maybe.”
Nothing is certain yet. We will only understand the situation when we get back to Beimin.
1. Feel free to search for some ‘Chinese landscape garden’ images!
